WILKES-BARRE – City police shot and killed a pit bull after it jumped at officers on East Northampton and South Hancock streets late Sunday night.

Officer Yuannis Polemitis was on patrol in the area looking for a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident when he encountered three pit bulls fighting, according to Wilkes-Barre police Sgt. Joseph Novak.

The dogs were running through the neighborhood, according to Novak, and separated during the chase. One of the pit bulls got away from police after it ran into a house with a door left open, Novak said.

The incident is still under investigation, Novak said. Animal enforcement and the state dog warden will be notified of the attack.